Collision apparatus for railroad-cars



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. KULINSKI.v

A Car Bumper.

NQ. 15,699. n Patented sept. 9,1856.

f g o Y N i o f i1 o u. c`. Qq k o Witnesses l YQ O M lnve nto r. fz m IMMM M I l'lkM. PH DTBLVITHO. C0. NKY. (CSRURNE'S PROCE-SSJ muni-ulmWitnesses= invenntor, 4 y@ JOHN KULINSKI, OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.

COLLISION APPARATUS FOR RAILROAD-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 15,699, dated September 9, 1856.

To all whom z't may cof/wem Be it known that I, JOHN KULINSKI, ofCharleston, in the county of Charleston, in t-he State of SouthCarolina, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Rendering Collisionsof Trains on Railroads Harmless; and I do hereby declare that `the fol`lowing is `a full` and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings andto the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in connecting to the front and rearof railroad trains a series of shields in such way that in the case of acollision the momentum imparted to the first shield shall passsuccessively from oneshield to the other in an amount of timesufliciently long `for the said momentum to be spent before it reachesthe train itself.

The leading feature in the arrangement of the shields is theinterposition between them of resistances of two distinct characters,viz., rigid and elastic, so combined with a series of locks and slidesin each of the shields that while out of collision all the shields arethereby kept at a certain distance from each other and the collisionhaving taken place the momentum imparted to the first shield is causedto unlock the rigid resistances and then to overcome the elasticresistances interposed between the shields successively and alternatelyone after the other and thus to be spent gradually on the harmlessoperation of throwing or drawing the shileds close to each other beforeit reaches the train.

In drawings Figure. l represents a perspective view of an apparatusonthe above principles. On a closer `inspection of the drawingit will beperceived that the shields follow each `other alternately in a seriesmarked A, B, C, so that those marked with the same letters are furnishedequally and the front furniture of the last shield and the rearfurniture of the first `shield being adapted to the place the' saidshields take inthe series A, B, C. Fig. 2 is a front view of the rearside of the rearmost'shield A; Fig. 3 a front view of the front side ofthe rst shield. Fig. `4: is a front view of the front side and Fig. 5, afront View ofthe rear side of shields A. Fig. 6, is a front view of thefront side and Fig. 7, a front view of the rear side of shields B, andFig.

Similar letters in the die're'nt. figures C a refer to identical partsof the apparatus.

A, B, C, are upright shields constructed of strong and durable materialand set upon wheels D, fitting the rails of the track upon which theapparatus is to be used. These shields are connected together and keptparallel to each other at any distance from each other they may assumeby springs E and bars F. The greatest tensionof the springs iscalculated to keep the shields at a distance as shown in Fig. l. Theirgreatest yielding goes to the length of the blocks G, which serve asrests for the shields at their closing upon each other. The bars F areof the length of the distances between the shields. Four of such barsproceed horizontally from the front side of each shield and meet on therear side of the nextshield slides H of the snap locks H I whichprevents their passage through the `holes K. In line with these bars Fon each shield and the holes K, cut through the neXt shields,

there are fixed to therear sides of each length of the tubes L, is socalculated that when passed through the holes K, and having received thebars F, .within them and their beveled ends rest-ing against the beveledheads f, of said bars F, the free ends of the blocks G, will come torest against the opposite shields, and thus keep them in line when attheir `closest approach toL ward each other. The snap locks, two on eachshieldconsist of plates I permanently secured to the rear side of eachshield with two rivets 2', i, at such a distance as to permit of an easymovement of the slides H, between them and the shields, and upon thepins z', i, and for which purpose said slides are provided with slots h,h, through which the pins z', z', being passed the slides H are hangingupon them. Springs M` secured on thetop of each snap lock press down theslides I-I, and thus cause the latter to close the holes K, andconsequently keep the bars F from passing through said holes. The slidesH however with the springs M, are so adjusted as to keep the holes K,not absolutely closed, but rather to keep the lower part thereof somuch, opened as to permit the entrance into the fissure of the bevelededges z', of the pipes L, as represented in the drawing (rather inexcess) by the spaces K, K, Fig. 5. Thus the pipes L when passedbackward by their respective shields in consequence of acollision wedgeunder the slides H, and their backward progress lift said slides, andwhile they thus (the pipes) pass through the holes K they admitthe barsF to pass freely through themselves until, as

labove, mentioned, their beveled ends L, Z, come to rest against thebeveled bar heads f. The respective position of bars F, snap locks H, l,tubes L and blocks G on the shields A, B2 C, is so calculated as topermiteach bar to work freely through three shields in case of acollision, which is acco-mplished by an arrangement substantially asshown in the v drawlng.

other.

The operation of the apparatus is the following: As long as the trainproceeds on the rail road, the apparatus, both the one that 'precedesVand that which follows the train, remain undisturbed and in theposition, as

" represented in Fig. l. But upon a collision taking place the shock isfirst communicated through the bumpers N, to the foremost shield B. Thenfalling back upon the next shield A the interposed springs E, give' way,all the balance of the shields retaining their` distances because of therigid obstructions of the bars F not being unlocked. But as soon as thepipes L of B have wedged up 'the slides H of A, the bars F of shield Ccease to resist, pass through the pipes L of B and the shield A fallsback upon the next shield C. The momentum of the shock turns now toovercome the springs of shield C until the pipes L of shield A, havewedged up in their turn the slides H of shieldL C,

when in their turn the bars F of the next shield B cease to resist, passthrough the pipes L of C and the shield C falls back upon shield B. Themomentum of the shock turns now to overcome the springs ofthe nextshield B and so forth in the same order from shield to shieldalternately overcoming the elasticity of the springs E and unlocking thebars F until it reaches the spring of the rearmost shield A, when the.whole momentum will be found eit-herv spent or so reduced as to beharmless to the train itself. At the first shock lthe least resistanceis encountered by the force causing the collision; but in the same ratioas the force spends its momentum in its progress toward the train theresistance increases by all the elasticity of the springs coming intoplay one after the other. This effect is still more secure if as it isdevised each train is protected in front and in the rear with thedescribed apparatus. Wherever a collision happens the shock is given andreceived by a safety apparat-us and its momentum is broken in bothdirections. The alternate and increasing work the force is caused toperform, that is to overcome elasticity and then friction and thenincreased elasticity and friction again and then again still increasedelasticity as it is successively brought into play, together with theelasticity already acting and so forth onto the rearmost shield,involves the necessity of a considerable time even for the mostextraordinary force of collision. 1f the whole resistance which theapparatus contains could be met by the force, the latter would actinstantaneously and transmit instantaneously so much of the momentum aswould remain thereof after breaking the resistance to the train. But bymy apparatus the resistance contained in the apparatus is as if it werelatent or kept in store and comes into play only successively and indistinct divisions of time, at the rate as one bar after another isunlocked and the springs permitted to oppose their elasticity to theshock. The momentum of the shock is thus forced to divide as many timesas there are locks in its way and so to say be destroyed by piecemeal.If the force of a collision be 14 andthe aggregate resistance of abumping apparatus 7 the force acting instantaneously on the wholeresistance would reach the train with a momentum of 7 and do all thehavoc it may be capable of. But if the same force of collision 14: besupposed to meet the same force of resistance 7, yet the latter beingequally subdivided as in the apparatus explained between each twoshields the effects of the collision would be widely different. Theshock arriving with a momentum of 14 at the bumpers would have amomentum of 13 when arriving at shield A. At this point it would have toovercome two sets of resistances in order to arrive at 6, that is theresistance between C and A and between A and B, and consequently reachthe shield C with a momentum of 11. On its way to thev next shield B, Ahas to overcome 3 sets of resistances B and C, between C and A andbetween A and B and consequently on reaching this shield B, it wouldhave but a momentum of 8. ln the same way, proceeding back to the nextshield A, it would have to overcome 4 sets of resistances and therefore.arrive at A reduced to a momentum of t. Arrived at the shield C all itsmomentum would be exhausted and the shock by the only reason of beingdivided would instead of arriving with a momentum of 7 to the train notbe able to arrive to the rearmost shield B and A.

Whatever ingenuity and attention may be employed to prevent collisions,the latter will happen as long as human devices will fail and humanfrailty vremains human nature. Collisions can not be prevented. Let thembe met. The best of the known bumpers are either a part of the train,being located under the cars and thus expose the latter, or ifindependent from and only attached to the train receive or resistinstantaneously the whole shock and therefore afford no warningtime tothe passengers in the train. With my apparatus in the worst case theapparatus may be destroyed and the train still left unhurt and if enoughmomentum shouldbe imparted to the train to become hurtful 3 minutes willpass between the rst shock and its reaching the train, enough to warnconductors and passengers even if they were asleep and sufficient toenable them to look for their safety. The connection of the foremostshield with an alarm galvanic apparatus is an obvious means for thepurpose and it is equally obvious that the foremost shield may by any ofthe known methods be caused to set to work a selfacting -car brake incase of a collision.

I-Iaving thus fully set forth the nature of my invention and the`operation thereof, I do not limit myself to 8 shields in the apparatus,the number thereof admitting of decrease or increase, provided thealternate arrangement of said shields by a constant series be preserved.Neither do I limit myself to a series of 3. 'If-his also may be less ormore, provided the keeping of the distances between the shields and thethrowt springs as elastic resistances. Any kind of bumpers may serve astheir substitute. Nor do I claim exclusively the bar as rigidresistances. Any kind of bolting may do in their place. Nor do I claimexclusively their combination with the tubes L andthe snap lock H I, asthe means of interrupting their resistance. Any other mechanical deviceproper to temporarily do away with the rigid resistances may be used.The slide and block arrangement P P on the top and under the bottom ofthe shields may be modified or transferred to the sides of the shieldsor even entirely dispensed with, provided other means be employed tokeep the shields in line parallel to each other and to insure the action`of the snap locks. The point of the invention is not in the individualmechanical devices as illustrated but in the general device to keep aseries of shields at givenV disstances from each other while ready forprotection and a collision having taken place to bring alternately andsuccessively out of action the rigid and into action Vthe elasticresistances in the order as they .are interposed and stored away betweenthe shields from the fore to the rearmost of them in the apparatus.

What therefore I claim as my invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent is Protecting railroad trains against the injurious effects ofcollisions by the attachment to their front and rear of a series ofshields A, B, C, kept at a distance from each other by elastic and rigidresistances E and F in such a way that a collision taking place saidshields are to fall back successively upon each other fromthe fore tothe rearmost, the resistances to yield to the shock alternately and insuccession by the operation of tubes and snap locks H, I, or theirequivalents being constructed arranged and operating substantially asand for the purpose specified.

JOHN KULrNskr. [1.. 8.]

In presence of-- J. SIEGLING, Jr., F. DUPONT.

